The Cowboy Christmas Miracle

Stan Kruml is a cowboy who lives here locally in North San Diego County. He also writes Cowboy Poetry. Here is one of his efforts that is most timely.

Well done, Stan!



The Cowboy Christmas Miracle
BY: Stan Kruml, THF


Gabriel Rocsmith had left his family
And headed to west Texas at 15 years old
There he found a good job snapping out broncs
He hired on for 30 dollars a month and paid in gold


This Christmas he wanted to make a trip home
And the tough cowboy life had made him strong
He wanted to shake hands once more with his father
And he sure was looking forward to hugging his Mom

He had not seen his Mom and Dad in 3 years
He had it in his heart now to get headed for home
He had also learned how the cowboy life can be lonely
And thinking about his family now made him tired of being alone

That Fall he told the Jigger Boss he wanted to go home
He was looking forward once more to working with his Dad
He would stay on through the Fall and help with the Fall round-up
Then he would head for home, proud of becoming a man, no longer a lad

So once the big Fall round up was over
Gabriel said his good-by’s and got on the trail
He had sent his mother a letter that he was coming
And he sure hoped he wouldn’t beat his own letter, in the mail

The home ranch was a 100 miles west of Cow Town
So, Gabriel with his two horses set out due east, all alone
And somewhere around 800 or so miles farther ahead of them
He would be enjoying a Christmas dinner, with his family at home

So that was the plan Gabriel had for himself
He would ride all day and sometimes, into the night
Then he would find a camp and take care of the horses
And get started early in the morning, at the first sign of daylight

Once in a while he’d come across a ranch
And the owners would always welcome him to stay
Both him and his two horses sure enough needed the rest
He would thank the rancher and they would be on their way

2

They had now been on the trail for days
And Gabriel was looking forward to getting home
They hadn’t seen man nor beast for almost a month now
And once again Gabriel thought about being tired, of being alone

Gabriel’s tally book showed 27 days out
And for the first time it looked like a big storm
If this storm kept right on heading in their direction
He sure needed to find a place, so they could stay warm

Now, Gabriel’s mother was starting to get worried
She had that feeling that mothers get, when things go wrong
The supply wagon carrying the mail had brought her Gabriel’s letter
She felt he should be here by now and it sure shouldn’t take him this long

The snow was now coming down harder than ever
Then out of the cold darkness he heard, “Who goes there?”
He sure never expected to hear any ones voice in a storm like this
When you’re not expecting it, a voice in the dark, can give you a scare

Then a rider rode right up to Gabriel
And the rider said, “Come on let’s go!”
Gabriel looked at him and couldn’t say a thing
The rider or the horse, neither, were covered with snow

Gabriel fell right in behind the rider
He really didn’t know what else, he should do
And when he finally did think of a few words to say
It was, “You have no idea how powerful glad I am to see you”

Then the rider said, “Likewise here Mister
Tell me, you from anywhere, around these parts?”
Then Gabriel told him that once upon a time he used to be
And that his family owned a ranch near here called, Triple Hearts

Then the rider said you must be Gabriel Rocsmith
My name’s John and I know your mother and father well
I hear you’ve been out there in west Texas snapping out broncs
And as I remember correctly, you have been gone, for quite a spell

Gabriel sure never expected to meet anyone
He figured the rider had a ranch in the area too
But when Gabriel asked if he had a ranch near by
He told him he wished, but he was just, passing through3

Gabriel asked how far it was to the Triple Hearts
And John told him that it really wasn’t all that far
But this storm just might end up being a real bad one
So they’d be much better off, just staying where they are

So he followed John into the trees to camp
It wouldn’t be easy starting a fire during the storm
But he had learned a lot of useful tricks in west Texas
And one of them was starting a fire, to keep themselves warm

Pretty soon it was snowing really hard
And Gabriel went hunting for anything to burn
John had rode off to find good cover for the horses
Now Gabriel had come back and was waiting on his return

Gabriel’s mother knew there was trouble
And all she could do now was pace the floor
She would go to the window and say a little prayer
And then a voice spoke to her and she went to the door

As the door opened there were Gabriel’s horses
Now she knew beyond a doubt her son was lost
When she screamed, Gabriel’s father came quickly
She wanted him to take the boys and find him, at all cost

Gabriel’s father caught up his son’s horses
And the foreman said he could count on all the men
In spite of the storm they all immediately saddled their horses
They rode for the brand and wanted young Gabriel, home again

Gabriel had them a good fire going
And it was now burning warm and bright
He asked himself what was taking John so long
The last he saw of him he was leading horses into the night

Then he heard a voice in the distance
And this was a voice he definitely knew
He loudly hollered back at the top of his lungs
Oh thank God, father it’s Gabriel, is that really you?

It was his father’s voice that came back
Gabriel was stunned as his heart jumped for joy
His father’s voice brought back so many memories
He thought about being lost when he was just a little boy

4

They kept hollering back and forth
Until he could see his father and the men
Gabriel saw his father and his horse clearly now
And then he started thinking about John, once again

He asked his father how he found him
And was told the story of his mother’s fright
And about the voice telling her to go to the door
And how she found his horses, standing there tonight

He asked them if they had seen John
John must have brought his horse’s home
And he must have ridden on ahead to the ranch
Then Gabriel wondered why, John had went out alone

His father and the men had not seen a soul
And who was this fellow John that he spoke of
Not one of them there tonight had seen man or beast
The only living thing they all saw, was a big white dove

Gabriel’s homecoming was truly a miracle
Neither of his horses had been to the ranch before
And no one there at the ranch had ever heard of John
The question was, how did his two horses, end up at the door?

Gabriel’s father and his men followed the tracks
Then why didn’t the tracks get covered by the storm
While Gabriel was using all his tricks to get a fire started
To keep himself and his new found friend John, nice and warm

Now one thing I can tell you all for sure
That was one of the best Christmases they ever had
And Gabriel’s Mom, got all the hugs she could handle
And Gabriel got his wish, a mans hand shake, from his Dad

That Christmas brought them all much closer together
Gabriel was made a Full Partner, now that he was a man
Soon after that he met and married a very nice Christian lady
And their children would run, Triple Heart branded cattle, on that land

Not very far away John sat on his horse
Listening to the Rocsmith family singing that night
And then he slowly turned his horse and they loped off
He still had a lot of work to do and everything there, was right

5

You see friends John wasn’t always an Angel
He had once been a cowboy and a pretty fair hand
He worked a lot of big cow outfits all over the country
And in those days he was known as, the Bible totin’ cowhand

See, John got killed in a stampede in 1886
All the hands said he gave his life for a friend
I’m sure you all know what it says in the scriptures
And John did live by God’s Holy Word, right up to the end

And when John first opened up his eyes
He already knew he was finally home, at last
He also knew Who it was walking towards him
And even so, his brand new heart, was sure beating fast

The Lord’s loving smile was felt
His Holy Voice completely filled the air
John knew the answers to his every question
It took him a moment to believe, he was really there

The Lord granted him a single wish
Because of his witness it was well deserved
Now for eternity John rides the range of Heaven
Throughout his life, he gave and was willing to serve

John praised the Lord for his blessings
And asked to return to earth, on Christmas Eve
He wanted to continue serving by helping others
And it was still his desire to give, rather than receive

So now that John’s wish was granted
To ride across the cattle country, of the West
Again to help anyone anywhere that was in trouble
And riding each Christmas Eve, doing what he does best

John’s horse was now headed East
He had 6 hours left to help anyone in need
An Angel can help a lot of people in a few hours
Before he lopes on back to heaven, on his loyal steed

This poem is about a Christmas Miracle
And Christmas is really all about the birth of love
Let us remember, that Love in itself is truly a miracle
And when Jesus was born He brought that miracle from above
Merry Christmas to All